Stepping inside Zero Latency's free-roam, warehouse-scale VR

[VR] [Stepping inside Zero Latency's free-roam, warehouse-scale VR] Zero Latency ticks all the VR boxes, but the game goes far beyond anything you’ve ever tried: That's thanks to the concept of “free-roam virtual reality," which takes the HTC Vive’s characteristic room-scale VR and cranks it up to fill a warehouse.[Read more] [CHILDREN] [Google's programmable Lego-like blocks teach kids to code] ​With an increasingly digital future, kids are being taught programming skills at younger ages. Now, Google Research is aiming to accelerate the development of the field, by announcing Project Bloks, an open-source hardware platform for developers to create “tangible programming” tools for kids.[Read more] [ROBOTICS] [Cozmo uses AI to develop a little robot personality] Anki's latest product takes advantage of AI, but there's nothing scary about it. Cozmo is a cute little robot capable of recognizing and engaging with humans, thanks to a combination of robotics, artificial intelligence and computer vision. ​[Read more] [SPACE] [NASA throws Hubble a five-year lifeline] The Hubble Space Telescope looks set to continue peering around the cosmos for a while yet, with NASA extending its science operations contract through to the year 2021. [Read more] [ENVIRONMENT] [Acoustic buoy lets scientists eavesdrop on whales in real-time] Whales inhabiting the waters off of New York and New Jersey can now be heard in real-time thanks to an acoustic monitoring buoy created by a consortium of marine scientists. The device allows the group to track, study and protect several species of endangered baleen whales.[Read more] [PHYSICS] [First universe modeling using Einstein's full theory of general relativity] New software has been developed that incorporates all the complexities of the equations of Einstein's general theory of relativity to help produce models of the cosmos far more complex and detailed than ever before constructed[Read more] [AUTOMOTIVE] [New McLaren 570S track car sprints into Goodwood] When it revealed the 570S GT4 race car earlier this year, McLaren mentioned that a 570S Sprint track car would be forthcoming. Unrestricted by the rules of race or road, the newly revealed 570S Sprint offers a tuned ride that's hungry for the nearest track. [Read more] [SPACE] [Juno snaps images of Jupiter's moons as rendezvous approaches] Like any tourist, Juno is sending back snaps of its journey. The unmanned spacecraft was 6.8 million mi (10.9 million km) from Jupiter when it captured an image of the banded giant planet and its four largest moons, Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto.[Read more] [TELECOMMUNICATIONS] [Google Earth gets a facelift] Google Earth has offered a highly useful window into many corners of the globe, and now it is bring our humble little home into even sharper focus. The company has just introduced an updated version that taps sharp imagery from Landsat 8 satellites to give the planet an impressive makeover.​​[Read more] [AUTOMOTIVE] [Mercedes GT R brings a little Green Hell to Goodwood] From the Nürburgring, to Brooklands, and on to Goodwood, the Mercedes-AMG GT R debuts as a fully optimized weapon for tracks around the world. Mercedes promises that the 577-hp (430-kW) car is packed with more motorsport-inspired tech than any other production car in its history.[Read more] [AIRCRAFT] [Sikorsky CH-53K King Stallion does some more heavy lifting] The Sikorsky CH-53K King Stallion helicopter has flexed its muscles, lifting a 27,000-lb (12,245-kg) payload at Sikorsky's Development Flight Test Center in West Palm Beach, Florida. [Read more] [MATERIALS] [Plant-inspired material becomes a liquid-wicking straw when wet] ​​When it comes to hazardous fluids, the less that researchers have to finely manipulate them, the better. It was with this in mind that scientists recently developed a new material that does something special when exposed to liquid – it rolls itself into a straw-like tube.​[Read more] [SPACE] ["Lucky imaging" creates fiery composite of Jupiter] To help map Jupiter before the arrival of the Juno spacecraft, the ESO has used an instrument on its Very Large Telescope to create a stunning image of the solar system's largest planet. To bring the image to life, the space agency relied on a technique known as "lucky imaging."​[Read more] [SPACE] [Astronomers set out to unravel creation of first supermassive black holes] ​​An international team of astronomers is planning to use gravitational wave data to unravel the formation processes that created the first supermassive black holes.[Read more] [MEDICAL] [Algae-based scaffold helps grow bioink for 3D-printed cartilage] ​Degeneration of cartilage in joints can be seriously painful, and it can be extremely difficult to repair. A new research effort could improve the situation, with scientists designing a new method for making artificial cartilage implants that leverages 3D printing technology.[Read more] [MATERIALS] [Nanotech coating puts an end to wasted shampoo] ​A microscopic coating lets shampoo, soap, and other heavy liquids slide right out of the bottle – so you're no longer left battling to get the dregs out at the end. The coating has been successfully applied to both polypropylene and polycarbonate plastics.[Read more] [AUTOMOTIVE] [eO EV breaks nine minute barrier at Pikes Peak hillclimb] Rhys Millen won Pikes Peak last year, but didn't meet all his goals. Millen wanted to complete a run in under 9 minutes, but the best his electric eO could manage was 9:07.222. This year he broke that barrier, but was beaten to outright honors by Romain Dumas in a petrol-powered Norma. ​​[Read more] [BICYCLES] [Xiaomi rolls out Mi Qicycle foldable eBike] Since releasing its first smartphone in 2011, Chinese electronics giant Xiaomi has branched out into a range of consumer electronic devices, including drones, smart TVs and fitness bands. Now, joining its personal mobility offerings is a new foldable eBike called the Mi Qicycle.[Read more] [SPECIAL PROMOTION FOR GIZMAG READERS] [Get Unlimited Backup on Your Phone Data with G Cloud, Now Over 90% Off] With G Cloud, it only takes one tap to restore all of your phone’s data in the case that it’s lost or stolen. Use the intuitive Apple and Android apps to select what you wish to protect, and G Cloud will store all your files on the secure and reliable Amazon AWS Cloud. With one account to back up all your devices, your data will be safe across the board.[Read more] You are receiving this email because you signed up for our daily newsletter at www.gizmag.com. [Update profile] | [Unsubscribe] Copyright Gizmag © 2016